The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of achilea, botanically known as Achillea ptarmica L. and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Gipi Whit’. Seed of the achillea variety ‘The Pearl’ (unpatented) which is an open-pollinated, seed propagated variety was sown in April 2003 and grown in Gilroy, Calif. in an evaluation field. A single plant selection was made in August 2003 from the resulting plants and asexually propagated.
The new cultivar was created in August 2003 in Gilroy, Calif. and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture in Gilroy, Calif. and Moncarapacho, Portugal over a two-year period. The plant has also been trialed at Hillscheid, Germany. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have been applied for in Canada on Oct. 17, 2005 and with the European Union on Oct. 14, 2005.